Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference
What is Verizon doing to upgrade its network architecture for 5G? The carrier started discussions with chipmakers and other partners two years ago. It conducted successful millimeter wave trials this year with “actual customers,” Verizon SVP – Technology Strategy & Planning Ed Chan, told attendees of the Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference in San Francisco on Thursday. “We tested at 1,000 feet below the ground. We were pleasantly surprised and asked ‘how far can we push it?’”
They got to 2,600 feet below the ground at gigabit speeds, he said. The chipset discussions for consumer handsets are important because “silicon is no longer the same” when used in millimeter wave systems. At a home with Low E glass, “we thought the thick glass might be a problem,” Chan said. It worked. Verizon engineers thought the signal might go through six floors; it went to 20 floors.
Verizon plans to overlay 5G over existing 4G LTE sites in 35 markets in 2018 (see Inside Towers December 6 story). “It’s not a brand-new build.” In trials overlaying a millimeter-wave system over existing networks, “we found we could provide good coverage.” It plans to add fiber, small cells and 4G and 5G network base stations going forward, rather than going directly to a 5G build.
Chan predicted chips from Qualcomm compatible with the new network architecture could be in the market a year from now. Verizon will deploy millimeter-wave and other spectrum next year. “We now see a clear path. With the spectrum we have, we can shift to a new standard next year. Now, the 35 cities become our mobility test sites,” said Chan.
Overall, Verizon has seen a “significant reduction” in the costs of running its network. It used to use dedicated routers and switchers, and is migrating to a “single box, controlled separately and automated,” he said.
December 8, 2017
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